Patients being discharged from hospital who are returning home to cold conditions this winter are being given a helping hand by staff at Burton's Queen's Hospital.
The SNUG campaign has now been launched at the Belvedere Road hospital asking staff to donate warm clothing to those struggling with fuel poverty with the long winter ahead.
Although the hospital-run SNUG, which stands for socks, neck/head warmer, undergarments and gloves, is primarily asking Queen's staff to donate, others wanting to help to get involved can do so.
Knitters are also being sought to make blankets which the hospital can hand out to those needing help to keep warm. It comes after the hospital team found that Burton has some high levels of fuel poverty meaning that people are living in incredibly cold conditions.
Carla Golding, the hospital's quality support nurse, said: "The SNUG packs have been designed for our frail or elderly patients who present to the emergency department with a cold related illness over the winter period. If they are assessed and deemed fit for discharge home they can be given a SNUG pack to take home with them.
"This winter, we wanted to help these patients stay warm over the winter period so we are asking our members of staff to get involved with our SNUG campaign. So far we have been able to create more than 30 packs."
The campaign is now up and running at the hospital and will continue throughout winter until late February so there is plenty of time to get knitting.
Chris Maddox, the community partnerships and charities manager, said: "In addition to the SNUG items, we are also putting in knitted blankets which have kindly been donated to us. We do get donations of large knitted blankets from some very talented people locally and further afield. However, we have nearly used our stock of blankets so we are asking the public if they could help us with this.
"Blankets can be any size above one metre square, in any colour; we love all of the different styles that we get to see as we think it shows off the personality of its creator.
"In addition to us supporting our patients, we really want to support our community beyond the walls of the hospital. Therefore we are also working with community groups such as Burton Albion Community Trust, YMCA and Age UK Burton to further our reach and to help those that are vulnerable stay warm over winter."
Anyone who wants to donate their knitted creations to the hospital can drop them in to the team at the Belvedere Road hospital.
How many people are struggling with fuel poverty?
Rising energy prices, energy inefficient housing and low incomes have all resulted in people finding themselves facing fuel poverty with the long winter months ahead.
In England alone, there are around 2.4 million households and 1.14 million older people in England living in fuel poverty, according to Age UK.
This lead to 31,000 "excess winter deaths" in England and Wales, with most of these deaths occurring in people aged 75 and older.
Living in a cold home can have many negative impacts on the body. These can range from cardiovascular and respiratory problems to depression, at an estimated cost to the NHS of £1.36 billion a year. It can also lead to social isolation, with people being left to make a choice between heating their home or buying food.
